Queen Elizabeth is alive and well after a death hoax spread across social media. A viral post on Twitter suggested that Her Majesty died of a heart attack on Sunday morning, and there was a news blackout to delay the official announcement of her death on Monday morning.
According to Express, the hoax started with a post on Twitter that included a screenshot message that was said to be from a group chat of the Queen's guards, called Old Times. Allegedly, the memo was to notify other members to prepare for two weeks of ceremonies to give Her Majesty a proper send-off.
User name Gibbo reposted the post, which he said was only forwarded from the guards registered WhatsApp group, that laid out the preparations for a state funeral. The message revealed that Queen Elizabeth passed away on Sunday morning through a heart attack and would be announced on Monday, at 9:30 a.m.
"Channel dash 0800 tomorrow in full number ones," the memo also noted. The alleged guards should have the black kit bag they needed with "one set of threes, one set of fours, underwear, and socks for two weeks, washing kit, body washing kit, cities for a stand down."
Buckingham Palace refused to comment about the issue, but Royal Central editor Charlie Proctor said that the rumors were already an "annual occurrence." The time of the year had come again when they had to dispel rumors about Queen Elizabeth's death.
Proctor insisted that Her Majesty is not dead, and she is alive and well. The Queen is even preparing to host U.S. President Donald Trump and other world leaders for the NATO reception at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, Dec. 3.
The royal fans reportedly panicked and freaked out. They even waited for the said time of the announcement, but nothing came. Instead, Queen Elizabeth was seen leaving the Windsor Castle - alive and well - an hour after the death hoax spread, per The Sun.
Proctor added that Queen Elizabeth was enjoying a good night's sleep at the time when the rumors started to spread. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson, on the other hand, said that they didn't give comments on issues based on rumors and speculations.
This is not the first time that rumors about Queen Elizabeth's death spread online. In 2016, a distasteful spoof of the BBC news Twitter account sent royal fans in a frenzy after it announced the Queen's death in late December.
